52 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MAY 6, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
New book explores historical houses of Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Venture into the past learning about
Queens’ architectural houses in a new
book entitled, Historic Houses of
Queens, that looks at interior design,
surrounding neighborhoods, real estate
trends, peculiarities and personalities.
Th e book, written by Rob MacKay —
the director of public relations, marketing
and tourism for the Queens
Economic Development Corporation —
is now available for purchase on Arcadia
Publishing’s website for $21.99.
MacKay, who is also a former newspaper
editor and authored the “Queens in
Your Pocket” guidebook, said his interest
in writing the book grew organically,
and intensely, aft er he became a trustee
of the Queens Historical Society in 2018.
“Th is is a true labor of love. I spent
countless weekends on research and
writing,” said MacKay, who lives in
Sunnyside. “But it was worth it. Queens
is such a special place, and its history is
absolutely fascinating. It’s an honor and
a pleasure to share this information with
readers.”
With 200 images and informative captions,
the paperback explores several
landmarked districts and more than 50
signifi cant houses with the oldest dating
back to the mid-1660s. Th eir owners
were America’s forefathers, religious
dignitaries, nouveau riche industrialists,
Wall Street tycoons, world leaders and
prominent African American entertainers
from the Jazz Age.
For example, Rufus King, a senator
and the youngest signer of the
U.S. Constitution, operated a large
family farm in Jamaica, while piano
manufacturer William Steinway lived
in a 27-room, granite-and-bluestone
Italianate villa in Astoria. Local musicians
include Louis Armstrong,
James Brown and Ella
Fitzgerald.
MacKay has been
working for the
Queens Economic
D e v e l o p m e n t
Corporation since
2011. As part of his
day job, he runs
various social
media channels
that promote the
borough’s restaurants,
shops,
hotels and tourism
attractions.
E s t a b l i s h e d
in 1993, Arcadia
Publishing specializes
in books and other products
that off er inside views
of regional history and forgotten
aspects of American life.
Th e company’s ever-increasing
catalog has more than 12,000
titles, including several other
paperbacks
on Queens
neighborh
o o d s ,
landmarks
and ethnic
communities.
For more information, contact
Rob MacKay at 718-263-0546 and
robertazo@hotmail.com.
To request a copy of Historic Houses
of Queens for purposes of a review, contact
Maddison Potter at mpotter@arcadia
publishing.com.
Downtown Jamaica Jazz Festival set to return
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Downtown Jamaica Jazz Festival
is returning next month aft er a pause in
2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
according to the Jamaica Center for Arts
& Learning.
Th e free, two-day event will take place
on the lawn of the Jamaica Performing
Arts Center on Saturday, May 15, and
Sunday, May 16, from noon to 7:30 p.m.
both days.
In the past, JCAL’s Downtown Jamaica
Jazz Festival has paid tribute to such legends
as the late Milford Graves while also
showcasing some prominent emerging
musicians. Th is year’s lineup — curated
by Rio Sahkari, artistic director of Th e
Jazz Gallery — is especially strong, starting
with Grammy-nominated saxophonist
Ravi Coltrane as a headliner.
Th e son of legendary jazz artists John
and Alice Coltrane. In the course of his
long career, Coltrane has worked as a
sideman to many, recorded noteworthy
albums for himself and others, and founded
a prominent independent record label,
RKM.
“It’s true. Our Downtown Jamaica Jazz
Festival is coming back to life, live on
the JPAC lawn,” Jamaica Center for Arts
& Learning Executive Director Leonard
Jacobs said. “Th is wouldn’t be possible
without many people coming together,
starting with the generous support of our
colleagues in city government. And look
at that lineup. Kudos to Rio Sakhari of the
Jazz Gallery and to Courtney Ffrench, our
interim artistic director, for creating this
incredible roster of top-tier talent.”
Th e two-day festival features eight
musicians, including the likes of Joel Ross,
who released his Blue Note debut with
KingMaker to critical acclaim, and Melissa
Aldana, who was an audience favorite
during JCAL’s second Th ursday Night
Jazz season, which has been livestreamed
every month since last October from
JCAL’s black-box theater.
“Th is is a collaborative experience, a
true celebration of life, of music, in every
sense,” Ffrench said. “In addition to this
lineup, we are seriously blessed to have a
staff and production and backstage team
that is second to none, and an audience
that we think is really ready to come out
of their homes and safely enjoy amazing
jazz here on the JPAC lawn. Everyone is
welcome, and we’re looking forward to
seeing you.”
During the Downtown Jamaica Jazz
Festival, all COVID-19 protocols will
be observed, with only 100 people at a
time permitted inside the grounds of
JPAC, with social distancing. Th e festival
is made possible by the Queens delegation
of the City Council and Queens
Borough President Donovan Richards,
the city Department of Cultural Aff airs,
Flushing Bank, Con Edison, and individual
supporters of the Jamaica Center for
Arts & Learning.
Courtesy of JCAL
The Downtown Jamaica Festival returns with live performances on the front lawn at the Jamaica
Performing Arts Center in May.
Courtesy of Rob MacKay
Rob MacKay
/publishing.com
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